Breaking the News
by moondragon23
Summary: After much dancing around, Shawn and Lassiter are finally together. Now comes their next challenge; telling Henry about his son's new boyfriend. Sequel to The Best Things.


**I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**I was talking to my sister after I finished ****_The Best Things_****about how Henry would react to the news of Shawn's boyfriend. The more we talked, the more I felt I couldn't skip over such an important and entertaining meeting. Hence, this story is born.**

**It starts just a few hours after the previous story ends. It can be read on its own, but does make a few references to the first story.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Shawn quietly closed the door to the Psych, careful not to make any noise. He could hear Gus moving around in the main office, but nothing indicated he had heard Shawn come in. _Good_.

Ducking low, he snuck quietly through the front room and peered around the door frame. Gus was at his desk, muttering to himself as he typed at his laptop. He picked up his phone and shook his head. "Come on, Shawn." Sighing, he got up and went over to the coffee maker.

Seizing his chance, Shawn silently crept into the room, making sure to keep out of Gus's eyeline. He watched his friend pour himself a cup of coffee, waiting for the right moment.

"Would it kill him to ever be on time?" Gus muttered to himself.

"Probably not," Shawn said, standing up. "Unless a trained assassin was waiting for me. In that case, fashionably late is better than dead."

Gus jumped, spilling coffee all over his shirt. "Shawn!" he cursed, putting the cup down and grabbing a dish towel to soak up the hot liquid. "Do you know how much this shirt cost? You're buying me a new one."

"Come on, Gus, it's not that bad." Shawn grabbed a second towel and dabbed at Gus's shirt.

His friend pushed his hands out of the way. "I got it."

Shawn stepped back and watched Gus's efforts. "On second thought, you might want to change. Coffee stains will not make a good impression on my dad."

"I'm not the one who needs to worry about that," Gus said. He threw down the dish towel and went to grab a shirt out of the lockers set along the wall.

Shawn poured himself a cup of coffee while he waited for Gus to change. He didn't normally drink coffee, finding it often made him jittery, but he hadn't gotten much sleep last night and wanted to make sure he was alert when dealing with his dad.

"You were supposed to be here an hour ago," Gus said, coming back into the room. He sighed when he saw the coffee cup in Shawn's hand.

"I was busy," Shawn said vaguely. He didn't think Gus would want to know he was late because he was having sex with Carlton.

"You weren't still moping, were you?" Gus asked, a pitying look on his face. "I know you're disappointed things didn't work out, but you can't keep obsessing over it."

"I wasn't obsessing," Shawn protested. "I was just concentrating on the problem while ignoring everything else that wasn't important."

"That's the definition of obsessing," Gus said.

"I'm fine," Shawn said. "I promise, no more moping about Lassie."

"Good." Gus took the coffee from Shawn and, ignoring his protests, poured it in the sink. "Then let's go. Your dad's not going to be happy that we're late."

"When is my dad ever happy with me?" Shawn asked irritably, upset over the loss of his coffee as much as thoughts of his father. "But we can't leave yet." He walked over to his desk and sat down. Carlton wasn't back yet, so he needed to stall Gus a little bit longer.

"Why?" Gus asked.

Shawn heard the sound of the office door open. "Wait for iiiiiit. .."

Gus had heard it too. "A client? I'm not taking a case on New Year's Day."

"Relax," Shawn said, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just my boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_?" Gus's eyes widened when Carlton walked into the room holding a smoothie. "_Lassiter_?"

Carlton nodded politely at him. "Guster."

Shawn jumped up, eagerly accepting his smoothie from the detective. "Thanks," he said, giving Carlton a quick peck on the cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gus shudder slightly. He started drinking the smoothie, moaning in satisfaction at the rich, sweet pineapple flavor.

Carlton shook his head, but couldn't keep the amused smile off his face. He glanced over at Gus and raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"You're _dating_ Shawn?" Gus asked incredulously.

Carlton sighed. "I thought you were going to tell him while I got your drink," he said to Shawn.

"I was, but this way was much more fun," Shawn said, grinning as he took another long slurp of his drink.

Carlton shook his head as he turned back to Gus. "Yes, Guster, I'm dating Shawn."

"_Why_?" Gus asked in confusion. "Shawn said last night you thought it was a bad idea."

Carlton glanced over at Shawn guiltily. "I changed my mind."

"Jules talked some sense into him," Shawn explained. "Remind me to get her something nice." Gus was still staring at them, mouth slightly open. "Use your words Gus."

His friend's mouth shut and he shook his head. "Please tell me this is a joke."

"Dude, I'm serious," Shawn said, hurt by the pleading tone to Gus's voice. "You know I wouldn't joke about this."

"You're right," Gus said neutrally. Despite having known his friend for years, Shawn couldn't tell what exactly he was thinking right now. "We should get going. Lassiter, do you mind if Shawn rides with me to his dad's house? We have some _things_ we need to talk about."

"No problem," Carlton said.

Gus nodded. "Shawn, I'll see you out in the car."

Shawn frowned as he watched him leave. He had expected Gus to be a little more supportive of his new relationship. It's not like it was a surprise; he'd had a crush on Carlton for years and Gus knew what had happened between the two of them on Christmas Eve. _Great, now I have another uncomfortable conversation to have today._

Shaking his head, he turned back to his boyfriend."I wanted to ride with you," he pouted.

"I'll see you when we get to Henry's," Carlton said.

"If I survive until then," Shawn said dramatically. "I don't know if I can stand being apart from you for that long." He looked forlornly at Carlton, bottom lip quivering.

Carlton crossed his arms, clearly not buying his act. "You've lasted longer than that before," he pointed out.

"But this time is different," Shawn insisted. "We're a couple now. Just think how guilty you'll feel when you get to Henry's and find out I died of a lonely heart because of you."

"After twenty minutes?" Carlton asked skeptically.

"You'll have to face my dad all by yourself and explain how your actions led to the demise of his only, cherished son," Shawn said.

Sudden understanding showed on Carlton's face. "I've met your dad before. I'm sure I can handle him," he said confidently.

This was both the upside and the downside to dating a detective. Carlton could pick up on the things Shawn was unwilling to say out loud, like his worry of how his father would accept his new boyfriend. "Last time you were a fellow cop," Shawn pointed out. "Now you're the boyfriend of his disappointment of a son."

"I thought you were his cherished son," Carlton raised an eyebrow.

"Only if my life is at risk, which is surprisingly often," Shawn explained. Carlton's expression clouded at the reminder of how many times Shawn had found himself in danger over the last two years.

Shawn grabbed Carlton's hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze to remind his boyfriend he was alive and well. "I was hoping to come up with a plan of attack on the ride to his house."

"Aren't you being a little overdramatic?" Carlton asked. "He is your father."

"Exactly," Shawn said. "He'll probably hate you just to spite me." He sighed and turned away, looking out the window while he slurped his smoothie. He could just make out Gus sitting in his car waiting for him.

Carlton put his hands on Shawn's shoulders, turning him so he was forced to look at the detective. "It'll be fine, Shawn."

"I hope so," he said doubtfully.

Carlton leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Stop worrying so much. If it gets too bad, we can always leave."

"What about Gus?" he asked, not entirely comfortable at the idea of leaving his friend to Henry's wrath.

"Guster is a grown man. He can handle himself." Carlton looked Shawn in the eyes. "Are you good now?"

"Yeah," Shawn said, smiling at him. "I'm still going to miss you on the ride over." He tilted his head up to kiss Carlton again when a car horn sounded outside. He pulled back with a sigh. "I guess we should go."

"Not yet." Carlton took the smoothie and put it down, then pulled Shawn towards him, capturing his lips in a hot, sensual kiss. Carlton gently cupped Shawn's face as he deepened the kiss, one hand sliding up to curl in Shawn's hair. Shawn ran his hands over Carlton's broad shoulders, pulling the detective tighter against him. Neither man paid any attention to the horn blaring impatiently outside.

Carlton smiled down at him when they broke apart. "Now we can go," he said, panting slightly.

"Or we could stay here," Shawn suggested hopefully. The slight flush to Carlton's face along with his swollen lips were hard to resist, not to mention the lust very much evident in his boyfriend's eyes. "I've always wanted to have sex in the office."

"Guster is waiting," Carlton reminded him, though his eyes did roam over the office speculatively.

"Another time then." Shawn reluctantly pulled away, straightening his clothes. "How's my hair?"

"It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Shawn asked. "Because my hair is one of my best features."

"I can think of parts of you I like better," Carlton said with a sly grin. He headed out the door, Shawn quickly following after him.

"What parts?" Shawn let out an exasperated sigh when Carlton reminded him to lock the office door instead of answering.

"There," he said, shoving the key back into his pocket. "Now will you tell me?"

"I'll show you later," Carlton said, heading towards his car.

"I'll hold you to that, detective," Shawn said shouted after him. He grinned to himself, imagining the fun the two of them would be having that night, before he walked over to the Blueberry.

* * *

Shawn looked over at Gus. His friend had been quiet since he got into the car and it was starting to make Shawn nervous. Gus was only this quiet when he was really upset or bothered about something and Shawn had a sinking feeling it was about him and Carlton.

"You know, talking generally involves words being exchanged between people," Shawn said when he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Or I could just read your mind and have the conversation myself."

"You're not psychic Shawn," Gus said.

"Then tell me what's going on," Shawn said.

Gus glanced at him. "I'm not sure this thing with Lassiter is a good idea," he said carefully.

Shawn sighed, wishing he had been wrong this time. "You weren't against it this much before."

"That's when I didn't believe Lassiter actually liked you. What if you screw this up?" Gus asked worriedly.

"Thanks for being supportive, Gus," Shawn said, hurt by his friend's lack of faith in him.

"I mean it. If things end badly, it could affect Psych." Gus turned away from the road, looking at Shawn. "What if he figures out you're a fake? We could go to jail Shawn."

"Nobody is going to jail," Shawn assured him.

"And you don't have the best track record when it comes to relationships," Gus reminded him.

"Neither does he," Shawn pointed out.

"Exactly. This is a disaster waiting to happen." Gus looked at Shawn in confusion. "I don't understand why you think this is a good idea."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I like him and I know he likes me back," Shawn said irritably. He sighed and looked out the window. He knew how many obstacles the two of them would face and he didn't need Gus sitting there pointing all of them out. "He makes me happy. Isn't that reason enough to give it a try?" he said softly.

"What if you get bored of him, just like everyone else?" Gus asked.

Shawn snorted. "I've been chasing after him for two years, Gus. I'm not about to let him go anytime soon."

"Do you really think he feels the same way about you?"

"He's coming with me to my dad's house," Shawn shrugged nonchalantly. "Either he's suicidal or he really likes me."

"You know that's right," Gus said. Shawn turned to look at him, relaxing when he saw the grin on his friend's face. "I hope it works out between you guys."

"Me too," Shawn said.

"How do you think your dad is going to react?" Gus asked as they turned onto Henry's street.

"I don't know," Shawn said. "He seemed supportive on Christmas."

"But he didn't know you were talking about Lassiter," Gus pointed out.

"True," Shawn said. He had been purposefully vague when describing the person who had left him in such a funk on Christmas. He didn't want his dad knowing just who it was he had been chasing after. In fact, he had not intended to tell his dad about the situation at all but he hadn't taken into account that his dad was the one who taught him how to read people.

_"What's wrong?"_

_Shawn looked up from where he had been playing with the food on his plate. "Nothing's wrong," he said, trying to force a more happy expression on his face._

_"You've barely touched your food," Henry said, pointing his fork at Shawn's plate. "And you've barely said anything for the last ten minutes."_

_"You're the one who wanted a peaceful family dinner," Shawn said. "I'm just giving you your wish."_

_"Since when have you agreed to do anything I've asked?" Henry asked. _

_"I cleaned out the garage last month," Shawn pointed out._

_"You mean you had Gus clean out the garage while you sat there reading a magazine," Henry corrected._

_"It still got done, didn't it?" Shawn asked._

_Henry narrowed his eyes. "Nice try. Quit trying to distract me and tell me what's going on."_

_Shawn sighed, putting his fork down. His dad was right; he wasn't acting like himself. He kept remembering last night and the disappointment he felt when Carlton had left right after breakfast. He had prevented the detective from having his talk, but he knew what the man was going to say. He had been on both sides of the morning after speech enough times to know it by heart. He had hoped by avoiding hearing the words he could avoid the pain that came with them but it still hurt the way Carlton had rushed off. "I guess I'm just not much in the Christmas spirit this year."_

_Henry nodded, a knowing look on his face. "Who's the girl?"_

_"Who said anything about a girl?" Shawn protested._

_"Shawn, you've been moping since you got here," Henry said. "Is it the same girl you were pining after a few weeks ago?"_

_"We're not in a forest, so I don't know what trees have to do with anything," Shawn said. "And I'm not moping."_

_"Like a lovestruck teenager," Henry said with a smirk. "So what happened? Did she turn you down?"_

_Shawn sighed. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get his dad's opinion on what happened. "No, I didn't get turned down. Actually, we hooked up last night."_

_"Then what's the problem?"_

_Shawn struggled to find the words to describe the many things wrong with the situation. "It's complicated," he said finally._

_"Let me guess; she wants to turn this into something real, but as usual you don't want anything serious," Henry said._

_Shawn laughed bitterly. "Just the opposite. I'm the one that wants something serious. __**He**__ would rather forget that anything happened."_

_"He?" Henry asked in surprise._

_Shawn shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It had been easier last time to just let his dad assume he was crushing on a woman. "You know I've dated guys before."_

_Henry crossed his arms, looking equally uncomfortable with the conversation. "Are you, uh, sure he's really interested in you?"_

_Shawn rolled his eyes. "We did sleep together."_

_"You of all people should know that doesn't always mean anything," Henry said._

_Shawn glared at his dad, stung by the hurtful yet unfortunately accurate remark. "Gee, thanks dad," he said caustically._

_A moment of tense silence passed between them. "Do you really care about this. . . guy?" Henry asked reluctantly._

_Shawn sighed, looking morosely down at his plate. "Yeah, I do."_

_"Then don't give up on him," Henry said. Apparently done giving advice for tonight, he went back to eating his meal._

_Shawn considered his father's words. He'd never tried this hard to be with someone before, but he had also never felt this strongly about anyone. He found he wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Tomorrow, he would talk to Carlton and find out if they could make this work._

_I guess I have to thank my dad for not letting me give up. _It had taken almost a week just to get Carlton to talk to him, but in the end he had succeeded in getting his man.

"We're here," Gus said, shaking Shawn from his thoughts.

Carlton had beat them to the house and was standing next to his car waiting for them. Shawn looked up at his childhood home. "Time to face the piper."

"Face the _music_ Shawn. It's pay the _piper._" Gus corrected grumpily.

"I've heard it both ways."

"You're late, Shawn," Henry said when he opened the door.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Happy New Year to you too." He pushed his way inside the house, Gus and Carlton coming in behind him.

"Carlton?" Henry asked, looking confused to see the detective in his living room. "What are you doing here?"

Carlton glanced at Shawn before answering. "Spencer asked me to come."

"And you came willingly?" Henry asked suspiciously.

"Your son can be very persuasive."

"I bet," Henry muttered.

Shawn decided to step in before Henry got the wrong idea. "Dad, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Shawn asked. Without waiting for his father to reply, he headed to the other room, knowing his dad would follow.

"Are you blackmailing him?" Henry asked as soon as they were alone.

"What? Of course not," Shawn said, insulted. "I'm not stupid enough to blackmail a cop, especially one with such an extensive gun collection." He spotted a covered tray on the counter and lifted the edge to peak inside. "Cookies!" he exclaimed, ripping over the foil and grabbing a couple.

"You seem in a better mood than last time I saw you," Henry said.

Too busy stuffing his face, Shawn simply nodded.

"I guess things worked out with that guy?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, they did," Shawn said, unable to keep the stupid grin off his face at the thought of his new boyfriend.

"So when do I get to meet him?" Henry asked.

Shawn looked at his father in surprise, hastily swallowing his last bite of cookie. "You've never wanted to meet any of my boyfriends before."

"You've never been this serious about anyone before, man or woman," Henry said.

Shawn couldn't really argue with that. "OK, then I'll introduce you." Grabbing Henry's arm and ignoring his protests, he dragged his father back into the living room.

Carlton and Gus had started to clean up in their absence. Carlton looked up when they entered the room, straightening slowly as he turned to face them. He glanced between Shawn and Henry, looking nervous despite his earlier confidence. He squared his shoulders, looking like he was about to face down a firing squad.

Gus stepped quickly to the side, not wanting to be in the line of fire if things went badly. Shawn felt his friend was being overcautious, but couldn't help his own feeling of nervousness at what he was about to do.

"Dad," he said, keeping his voice steady. "I believe you know Carlton."

Carlton stepped forward. "Henry," he said, holding out a hand.

His dad reached out slowly and shook the detective's hand. He glanced over at Shawn suspiciously before turning back to Carlton.. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke, sir," Carlton said seriously. He stepped back when Henry dropped his hand, though he didn't break eye contact.

Henry turned to look at Shawn. He was usually pretty good at reading his father, but this time he couldn't tell what he was thinking. He tried not to squirm as he waited for Henry to say something.

"I guess that explains how Shawn was able to convince you to come," Henry said finally. He looked at the three men standing in his living room. "Well, the place isn't going to get cleaned just standing there. Get to work."

Shawn let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as his father walked back into the kitchen. That had gone better than he had expected. While not exactly approval of his relationship, his dad hadn't disapproved of it either. He knew his dad liked Carlton, so hopefully he could get used to the idea of them being together.

He turned to Carlton and grinned. "You heard the man. Let's get started!"

* * *

The cleaning went fairly smoothly, considering Shawn was involved. Carlton had to call him and Guster to task several times, as the duo kept getting distracted by the leftover food. He wasn't surprised; Shawn acted the same way when working on a case. It did give him new respect for Henry though, if he had to put up with this while Shawn was growing up. It was a wonder his boyfriend had made it to adulthood.

He smiled to himself. _Boyfriend_. There was a word he never thought he would be using again. Especially considering whom he was referring to. He looked over at Shawn, who had found something in between the couch cushions and was holding it out to Gus to examine.

"It's clearly a Funyon, Gus," Shawn said. "Look at the curved shape."

"But it's orange," Gus pointed out. "It's more likely a malformed cheese curl."

"There's only one way to settle this," Shawn said. He popped the unidentified food into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Well?" Gus asked.

"Funyon but covered with the cheese curl powder," Shawn proclaimed. "Also, couch lint." He tried to spit out the bit of fluff, making a face.

"You're an idiot," Gus said, shaking his head.

_Yup, that's my boyfriend_. Carlton sighed.

"Carlton, can you help me in the kitchen?" Henry asked.

Leaving the two to their couch explorations, Carlton followed the ex-cop into the other room.

Henry pointed to the sink. "You start on the dishes while I get the rest of this food put away."

Carlton rolled up his sleeves and started scrubbing while Henry wrapped up the leftover food. They worked quietly for several minutes, the only sounds the clink of dishes in the sink and running water.

"So, Carlton, how long has this thing between you and Shawn been going on?" Henry asked.

Carlton suppressed a sigh. He had been expecting something like this. Henry could be surprisingly protective of his son, which naturally included being suspicious of whoever Shawn was dating. He turned off the water, wiping his hands dry on a dish towel as he turned to face Henry. "Technically, I suppose since last night."

"You're not counting Christmas Eve?" Henry asked.

Carlton was surprised Henry knew about that but shook his head. "I wasn't ready to be with Shawn at the time. I had things I needed to think about first."

"But you think you're ready now?" Henry asked.

Carlton nodded. "I am."

Henry crossed his arms, studying Carlton. The detective held still, holding his gaze steady when Henry looked him in the eyes. "I guess I don't need to warn you about how irresponsible and flighty my son can be."

Carlton smirked. "I'm well aware of that."

"Shawn's also not the most discrete person," Henry cautioned. "I doubt you'll be able to keep this a secret at the station for very long."

"I don't intend to," Carlton said. "I plan on being upfront about it from the start."

Henry looked mildly impressed. "That takes guts. You guys are both well known at the station and we both know there is still a stigma against gay cops. It's not going to be easy."

Carlton smiled wryly. "The best things never are."

Henry smiled back. "You got that right." Crossing the kitchen, he clapped Carlton on the shoulder. "You treat him right, detective, or you'll be hearing from me," he said, lowering his voice.

He swallowed hard. The ex-cop could certainly be intimidating when he wanted to be. "Yes sir."

"Good man." Moving away, Henry went over to the coffee maker. "Go see if the boys are done yet," he said as he measured out the grounds. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Lots of cream and four spoons of sugar," Carlton said.

Henry made a face. "Really?"

"I like things sweet," Carlton said defensively.

Henry shook his head. "Yeah, you'll get along fine with Shawn." He pulled a covered plate out of the fridge and put it on the table. "Tell them there's cake, that should get them moving."

As Carlton left the room, he smiled to himself. It looked like he had passed Henry's test and been accepted. He would have stayed with Shawn either way, but he was glad their relationship wasn't going to add to the strain between father and son.

Though, just to be safe, he made a note to check how good a shot Henry was while he was on the force.

* * *

_Cleaning is hard work_ Shawn mused as he lounged on the couch. Normally he tried to get out of it as much as possible but today he was trying to stay on his father's good side and had pitched in. They had cleaned up all the garbage and vacuumed the floor and couch. All the leftover food had either been eaten or moved to the kitchen for Henry to put away. The only thing left was to wipe down the table, which Gus was handling fine on his own.

Well, mostly fine. "You missed a spot," Shawn said, helpfully pointing it out.

"Then why don't you do it?" Gus said irritably, throwing the rag at him.

"You're clearly more skilled at this than I am," Shawn said, throwing the rag back at him.

"Practice makes perfect," Gus said, the rag flying through the hair to hit Shawn on the chest.

"Exactly why you should do it. Henry likes perfection," Shawn said. Gus dodged as he was throwing the rag and it hit Carlton as he came into the room.

"You're supposed to use this to clean the table, not throw it," Carlton said, picking it up off the floor.

"Really?" Shawn asked innocently. "Maybe you should show us the correct way to use it."

Carlton shook his head. "Nice try." He tossed the rag onto the table as he crossed the room to Shawn. "You're dad said there's cake in the kitchen."

"Cake?" Fight forgotten at the prospect of food, Gus hurried into the kitchen.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "I swear all he cares about is food. No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"What about you?" Carlton asked.

"I have all the sweetness I need right here," Shawn said. He tugged on Carlton's arm until his boyfriend relented and sat on the couch. He cozied up next to him, wrapping Carlton's arm around his shoulder. "How did the talk with my dad go?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Carlton said dryly.

"That bad?" Shawn asked, frowning.

Carlton shook his head. "Actually, no. Though he did threaten me if I hurt you."

Shawn grinned happily. "That's my poppa."

Henry came into the room holding two mugs. Shawn noticed the slight hitch to his father's step when he saw the two of them sitting together on the couch. Henry had always been a bit uncomfortable around his boyfriends and since he knew Carlton it only complicated things more. He was making an effort to act normal, though, so Shawn didn't say anything.

Carlton reached up and took the mug Henry offered him. "Thank you."

Henry's eyes narrowed slightly. "What happened to your wrist?"

Shawn glanced at Carlton's wrist. There was a thin red mark circling it, left from the handcuffs the night before. They had covered it up with makeup but it must have washed off while Carlton was helping his dad in the kitchen.

Carlton turned his hand, trying to hide the mark. "It's nothing."

"If you hurt yourself in my home, I deserve to know about it," Henry said.

"It didn't happen here," Carlton said.

Henry frowned. He handed the other cup to Shawn, his gaze lingering on the arm wrapped around his shoulder. Shawn looked at it, noticing the sleeve of Carlton's shirt had ridden up, revealing the marks on this wrist as well. That was the last time Shawn skimped on costume makeup that claimed to be waterproof.

He looked back up at his father. He was still standing there, looking at both wrists. Shawn could see the wheels turning in his head. _Crap_. He quickly put his cup down, trying to figure out a way to avoid the awkward conversation he knew that was coming.

"Those look like they came from handcuffs," Henry said. "Did something happen while you were on a case?"

Carlton glanced over at Shawn. "No, not a case," Carlton said slowly. He avoided looking at Henry, a blush coming over his face.

Henry looked at the couple on the couch in confusion. "Then what – " His eyes widened as he figured out what had happened. Shawn hid a smile at his father's red face, which was beginning to match the same hue as Carlton's.

"Do you _really_ want us to answer that question?" Shawn asked.

"Uh no. On second thought, I'd rather not know," Henry said. He looked uncomfortably at Shawn, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just, next time, maybe use some padding or something when you, you know."

"I got it," Shawn said quickly. As fun as it was to make his dad uncomfortable, there was no way he was going to discuss his sex life with his father. He had somehow made it this far without being scarred for life and he wanted to continue that way.

Too bad Henry seemed determined to make the situation as uncomfortable as possible. "And uh, I hope you're using protection. Obviously neither of you can get pregnant but there are still things out there to be careful of."

"Oh God, dad, please stop talking," Shawn begged, his face burning. He didn't think he had ever had a more awkward conversation with his father, including when he had needed a ride home from Stacey Turner's house after her father caught them up in their bedroom half naked. Then Henry had given him a pamphlet on STDs and teen pregnancy, telling him to read both before grounding him for a month. This was ten million times worse.

"I can assure you, Henry, we're being safe," Carlton said. _Make that ten billion times worse._

Shawn groaned and buried his face in a pillow. This had gotten completely out of control. This was the last time he brought anyone he was dating to his dad's house. In fact, he might never come back here again. He was scarred for life now, he just knew it.

"Well, I left Gus alone in the kitchen with the cake. I better go see if anything is left." He heard hurried footsteps as Henry left the room.

Shawn felt a hand rub soothingly along his back. "He's gone."

He lifted his head, looking over at his boyfriend. "Well, you can't visit my dad without one incredibly awkward conversation. I think we're all set now, for like the next decade or so."

Carlton leaned his head back on the couch with a groan. "You know everyone at work is going to think the same thing about those marks."

"Gus has better costume makeup than I do. I'll borrow some from him later," Shawn said. He took Carlton's cup and placed it on the table before wrapping his arms around the detective. He could feel how tense his boyfriend was beneath him, muscles almost vibrating with worry. He kissed him lightly on the cheek. "It will be fine. I promise."

Carlton turned his head to look at him. "And how would you know that?"

Shawn smirked. "Psychic, remember?" Carlton rolled his eyes before leaning in to kiss him. He felt the stiffness leave the detective's body as he relaxed against Shawn, his hands coming up to wrap around him. When they broke apart, Carlton smiled at him. "Better?" Shawn asked.

"Much better," Carlton said. He kept his arms wrapped around Shawn, unwilling to let him go just yet.

Shawn rested his head on Carlton's shoulder, breathing in the detective's unique scent. Even now he could smell a slight hint of gunpowder from all the time the detective spent at the gun range. It practically permeated his skin at this point. He let out a contented sigh. It was nice, sitting here quietly with his boyfriend, cuddled up together on the couch. He could picture doing this again after a long day, relaxing together while watching a movie. It wouldn't even matter if there was sex afterwards. Just being with Carlton was enough.

A little unnerved by the realization of how much he cared for the detective, Shawn pulled himself out of Carlton's arms. He stood up, reaching a hand down to his boyfriend. "Come on. If we want any cake before Gus eats it all we better go in there." Ignoring Carlton's odd look, he handed his boyfriend his coffee and lead the way across the room.

Gus was already at the table eating what looked like a third of a cake when they entered the kitchen. Shawn sat down across from him. "Jeez, Gus, did you leave any for the rest of us?"

"You snooze you lose, Shawn," Gus replied around a mouthful of cake.

"Relax," Henry said, handing a plate to Shawn. "I didn't let him eat all of it."

"Thanks," Shawn said, immediately attacking his piece. Henry shook his head as he put a piece down next to Shawn, then sat down with his own, smaller piece. "You joining us Carlton?"

"In a sec." Carlton was typing something on his phone, a small smile on his face. He snapped it shut and sat down next to Shawn.

"Who were you texting?" Shawn asked curiously.

"O'Hara." He glanced at Henry before answering. "She wanted to know how last night went."

"What did you tell her?"

"That things went well and I would talk to her tomorrow," Carlton said, picking up his fork and starting on his cake. There was a red tinge to his neck and Shawn wondered what exactly Juliet had asked. They better make sure those handcuff marks were covered really well tomorrow.

"Hey Gus, do you still have that costume makeup from the year we dressed as pirates?" Shawn asked.

"Where you had that really bad sunburn we needed to cover up?" Shawn nodded. "I think so. Why?"

"Lassie has some marks he needs to cover up," Shawn looked over at Carlton, who reluctantly rolled up his sleeve to show Gus his wrist.

"What are those from?" Gus asked innocently.

"Believe me, you don't want to know," Henry said before Shawn could answer.

Gus looked like he was about to ask anyway, then thought better of it. "I can drop it off for you later."

"Thanks man," Shawn said.

Gus pushed back his empty plate with a sigh. "Thank you for the cake, Mr. Spencer but I should get going. It will take me awhile to dig out that makeup." He stood up, putting his plate in the sink before heading for the door. "Later Shawn."

Carlton was just about finished with his piece, so Shawn stood as well. "We need to head out too. Lots to do tonight."

"Like what?" Henry asked, then quickly held up a hand before Shawn could answer. "On second thought, I don't want to know."

Shawn grinned as Carlton stood, throwing back the last of his coffee. "Henry," he said, nodding at the ex-cop.

"Carlton. Let me know the next time you have off. I'd love some company on my next fishing trip." Henry nodded at Shawn. "_He_ refuses to join me."

"If you wanted us to do something that didn't require endless hours sitting still waiting, I might consider it," Shawn said. "Besides, I don't condone the torture of fish."

"You have no problem eating them," Henry said.

"That's entirely different," Shawn said.

"So how about it Carlton?" Henry asked.

Carlton glanced at Shawn. He sighed and nodded. "Go ahead, but no telling embarrassing stories about me." He looked at his father. "Either of you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Henry said with a grin.

Shawn groaned. Maybe it would be better if they didn't get along so well. "Let's go," he said, pushing Carlton towards the door.

"Shawn, can I talk to you for a minute?" Henry asked.

Shawn sighed in defeat. He had been so close to leaving without a lecture too. "I'll catch up to you outside," he said to Carlton.

The detective nodded, looking over at Henry. "Give him a chance," he said quietly. "He might surprise you."

"I doubt it," Shawn muttered. Carlton gave him a look and he sighed. "Fine. I'll listen to what he has to say."

"Good." Carlton glanced at Henry, then leaned in and gave Shawn a quick kiss. "I'll see you at the car."

Shawn watched him leave with an amused grin on his face. Henry knew they were doing much more than kissing, but Carlton was still nervous kissing in front of his dad. It was kind of cute.

His grin faded as he turned to face his father. "All right, dad, what do you want?"

Henry studied him for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You care about him," he stated.

"Yeah, I do," Shawn said cautiously.

Henry reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "He's a good man. Don't screw this up."

Shawn looked at the hand on his shoulder, then at Henry. "Who are you and what have you done with my father?"

Henry let go of Shawn and shook his head. "You better get going." He turned away, walking over to the table and started collecting the dishes left sitting there.

Shawn headed to the door, pausing for a moment before he left the house. This had been the first time since he moved out that he and his father had spent any length of time together without getting into an argument. It almost made it worth the extreme awkwardness. Well, not really but it was a nice change. "Hey dad?" He turned and looked back at his father. "Thanks."

"No problem, kid," Henry said.

Shawn left quickly, before either one of them could say something to ruin the temporary peace.

* * *

"What did he say?" Carlton asked when he got in the car.

"He gave us the Henry Spencer stamp of approval," Shawn said, still trying to figure out his dad's uncharacteristically nice behavior.

"Hmm." Carlton pulled out onto the street, heading towards Shawn's apartment. Shawn waited in silence for a couple minutes, but his boyfriend didn't say anything. He didn't seem as shocked by Henry's behavior as Shawn had been.

"You don't seem surprised," Shawn said, getting suspicious. "Did you know he was going to say that?"

"No, but I suspected it would be something like that." At Shawn's disbelieving look he explained. "Your father loves you. He can see us being together makes you happy so he's not going to stand in the way of that."

"Huh." His relationship with his father had always been rocky, but it had slowly been improving lately. It would also explain the scene in the kitchen. Maybe Carlton was right.

"So what are we going to do when we get back to my place?" Shawn asked.

"I should probably head on home," Carlton said. "We spent most of the last twenty-four hours together. You must be sick of me by now."

"I'll never get sick of you, Lassie," Shawn said. Carlton glanced at him doubtfully but seemed reassured by the sincere expression on Shawn's face. "Besides, you have to stay at least until Gus brings over the makeup."

"OK, but no sex. I don't want Guster showing up in the middle of anything," Carlton said.

Shawn shuddered. "You and me both. How about we order a pizza and watch a movie?"

"Can we get it without pineapple?" Carlton asked.

Shawn considered this. There was extra pineapple leftover from breakfast. "If I can pick the movie," he said.

"Deal."

Shawn grinned over at Carlton until the detective turned to look at him. "What?"

"You realize this is our first official date, right?"

"I suppose you're right," Carlton said with a smile.

"Now, I don't usually put out on the first date," Shawn said, ignoring Carlton's snort of disbelief, "but with you I'm willing to make an exception."

"I do have to work tomorrow," Carlton said.

"You promised to show me what parts of me you like best," Shawn reminded him. He leaned over and whispered in Carlton's ear. "You can use the handcuffs."

Carlton's breath caught slightly. "I can, can I?"

Shawn nodded. "And I don't mind if you leave marks."

Carlton looked at him sharply, then back at the road. "After dinner," Carlton stated, his voice a little hoarse.

"Of course, we need to keep up our strength," Shawn agreed.

Carlton took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Do you know how fucking tempting you are?"

"No more than you," Shawn said.

Carlton looked at him doubtfully. "You don't mean that."

"Of course I do. I don't handcuff _everyone_ to my bed," Shawn said. "You are one hot, sexy detective. I'm surprised you're not beating off people with a stick."

Carlton sighed. "Now I know you're making that up."

Shawn reached out and grabbed Carlton's hand. "I mean it, Carlton. Why do you think I kept groping you during visions for the last two years?"

Carlton raised an eyebrow. "I thought the spirits made you do that."

_Oops. Maybe Gus was right to be worried about him finding out the truth. _"They leave me some control over who I focus my attentions on," Shawn said, covering up for the slight slip. "I chose to grope you."

"This is the strangest relationship I've ever been in," Carlton said, shaking his head.

"Is that good or bad?" Shawn asked.

Carlton looked over at him. "Good," he said, giving Shawn's hand a squeeze. "At least I know it will never be boring."

"Just one of the many perks to dating me," Shawn said. "Along with access to this super hot bod and a variety of pineapple inspired products." He knew it wouldn't all be smooth sailing, and they were sure to have plenty of problems as they tried to make this relationship between two headstrong individuals work. However, he also knew it would all be worth it.

Shawn laced his fingers with Carlton's, seeing the grin spread over his boyfriend's face. "Trust me, Lassie, we're in for one wild ride."

* * *

**I hope everyone liked it. Let me know what you think.**

**The Valentine's Day story will be called ****_The 'L' Word_****and is already started. I should be able to get it posted by the 14****th****.**


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